Method and device for the manufacturing of sound films



Jan. 9, 1940. J, C; yAN LEER I 4 2,186,157 I v METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MANUFAQTURING 0F `SOUND FILMS Filed Jan@l 18, 93s` I Patented Jan. 9, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE N `METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE MANUFAC- TURING OF SOUND FILMS Jacques Oscar van Leer, Wassenaar, Netherlands Application January 18, 1936, Serial No; 59,764

In the Netherlands 4August 23, 1935 is claims'. (c1. 17a-100.3)

The invention relates to the manufacturing of sound nlms. In general two principles have been proposed already.

According to the iirst principle the intensity of 5. the light falling upon the film through a slit is modulated in accordance with the produced sound.- This intensity-modulation can b'e effected by a variable-source of light or by means of a constant. source of light in combinationwith a variable light-sluice for example either of the,

mechanical type or of the electro-optical type, such as the Kerr-cell.

According to the other principle a pencil of light is thrown upon the slit andl moved by 'an 15, oscillograph` into the direction of the slit so thatv in proportion to the said displacement, a smaller or larger portion of the slit is illuminated-so that a blackening band is produced on the nlm moving perpendicularly to the direction ofthe slit,v the envelop-ing line of said blackening band be-l tions of the produced sound, whereby the produced blackening is determined by the spectral colour falling on it, because photographic emulsions have a sensibility being a function of the wave-length of the light falling upon it.

According to another feature the said spectrum is moved over the slit in such a manner, that the illuminated portion of the slit varies in a wellknown manner with the sound, whereas moreoverk the wave-length of the light falling upon it, likewise varies with the sound so that the blackening is partly determined by the quantity ofthe light falling upon it I'and partly by the colour 'of the sensibility characteristic of the material.k

The division of the light into the spectral colours may be'done in any well-known manner,

n ,-9 for examplewith the aid of a prism and an objective which forms the spectrum as a series of coloured images of an illuminated slit.v l

The lateral movement of the said pencil of light, may likewise be effected in Various'mansaidlight, the latter dependingon the colourners, for example with' the aid of an oscillograph l carrying a mirror which rotates in accordance with the sound-variations.

Finally the spectrum may be moved over the slit,'in different manners. j

In Figure l the slit is illustrated as a rectangle 5 f drawn in full lines and the .spectrum as a rectangle drawn in full lines and the spectrum as a rectangle in dotted lines. If the said spectrum is moved in the direction of the arrow, the illuminated portion of the slit, as well as the blackenv10.

ing, increase, whereby it has been takenthat the kfilm becomes more sensible to light ofV shorter wave length. i

Figure 2 illustrates how the entire slit is illuminated whereby the blackening increases if 15.

lthe spectrum is displaced in the directionof the arrow, due to a greater sensibility to light, of va smaller wave-length. l `Figure 3 shows how by a spectrum which'is slantingly cut off by a diaphragm and moved in 20 the direction of the arrow, an increasing portion ofthe slit is illuminated, whereas the blackening increases at the same time, when the lm is more lsensible to rays of shorter wave-length.

Thus. here a combined andv consequently -a 25 stronger effectv is obtained. Figure 4 shows how with a non-linear sensibility curve and a linear displacement a linear effect can yet be obtained by bounding non-linearly the spectrum in such a manner, that thenon-linear- 30 ity of thesensibility is compensated.

'By means of a distortingoptical means, for example a curved mirror, the spectrum can be distorted before being thrown upon the lm by which denite colours are placed more close to 3 5 gether and other colours further apart.

It is clear that the said 'difference in blackening is determined by the composition of the light falling upon the iilm, as well as by the selective sensibility of the lm vor the emulsion. Now-the 4.0'y

inventionhas also for-its .effect to increasev considerablyl the sensibility ofthe method, sothat Very small displacements ofthe spectrum with 'respect to the slit, which are obtained for lex- `ample by very small oscillations )of van `oscillo-` 4,5

graph-mirror, already suffice for obtaining considerable differences in blackening. ln order to obtain this,-Various means are applied which by preference are used in combination. v In the first placca source oi light may beused, 5o such as a mercury lamp, radiating strongly denite sorts of light, but as far as the frequency is concerned, immediately bounding it, either very feebly or not at all, so that in the said field of 4,transition theemitted light-intensity is a steep function of the frequency which by preference should be less or more linear. l

With ilters which in the visible field will be coloured, which, however, can also be used for ultra-violet light, the characteristic representing the intensity of the light as a function of the frequency, may be amended and corrected considerably. Attention should be paidto the fact, however, that such a lter decreases the total intensity of the light. Filters letting completely pass a deiinite sort of light, absorbing, however, that which in frequency-follow the rst mentioned sort, are for example the so-called Wratten filters.

Finally the film itself can be sensibilised with the aid of sensibilisators being known in themselves, in such a manner, that by a definite colour it is strongly blackened; by acolour ofk a successive irequency, however, little or not at all. The said sensibilisation may be completed by filtercolouring matter in the emulsion layer.

By combining all the said means in the right manner, an enormous frequency-sensibility can be obtained so that very small' displacements of 1. A method of optical sound kregistration* whereby the blackening is determined by the light falling upon it, comprising throwing a spectrum on a nlm through a slit while said spectrum is moved in accordance with the sound being recorded whereby thewave-length of said light Varies in accordance with the sound being recorded whereas the lm has a sensibility which is a function of said wave length.

2. A method of optical sound registration whereby the blackening is determined by the light falling upon it, comprising throwing a portion of 'a spectrum on a film through a slit while said portion of a spectrum is moved in accordance with the soundbeing recorded whereby the wave-length of said light varies in accordance with the sound being recorded whereas the film has a sensibility which is a function of said wave length.

3. A method according to claim l, in which the spectrum is moved into the direction of the slit whereas at the same time the colour is varying in the said direction in such a manner that in case of increase of the illuminated portion of the slit, the activity of the light increases too.

4. A method according to claim 1, in which the colours follow each other and at the same an interchangeable diaphragm the limitationcurve of the spectrum is adapted to the coloursensibility-characteristic of the film-material or other non-linear eiect.

8. A method according to claim 2, in which the spectrum is distorted by a special means, for example a curved mirror, so that definite colours are placed more close together and other colours further apart. I

9. A process for recording sound on a photographic nlm, whereby the blackening of the recording material of the lm is determined by the rays to which the recording material of the i'llm is exposed, characterized in that a discontinuous spectrum of electromagnetic rays, i. e. spectrum of such rays, not being limited to the visible or any special region', which shows to a greater or lesser degree diierences of intensity between the various parts of the spectrum, is projected on a slit, behind which the light sensitive film is movingxand that thespectrum is moved in accordance with sound frequenciesv so, that a region of this spectrum is sliding over the slit within whichregion of discontinuity the intensity of the various wave lengths therein comprised, varies with the wave length.

10. A process according to claim 9 in which a curve with the rabscissa showing the logarithms of the modulation and the ordinate the blackening resultingtherefrom, traced in a system of coordinates with a logarithmic unity on the abscissa and a linear unity on the ordinate, has for the greatest possible part a straight linear shape.

11. A process according to claim 9 in which as a discontinuous spectrum an emission lines or an emission bands spectrum is used.

`l2. A. process according lto claim 9 in which as a discontinuous spectrum an absorption spectrum is used, which is produced by means of a filter'with a more or less sharply limited absorption band.`

13. A process according to claim 9 in which as a discontinuous spectrum a spectrum is used of which a part has been screened oiT.

14. A process according to claim 9 in which as a discontinuous spectrum a spectrum is used in which, the intensity of the respective parts of the spectrum is varied, because of a part being distorted by means of distorting optical means.

15. A process according to claim 9 in which a region of discontinuity of the spectrum, respectively the region of wave lengths, where for the lm itself and/or by means of the use of special sensibilizers shows a difference in sensitivity for the diierent wave lengths of the spectrum, will be chosen in such a manner, that these regions coincide as much as possible.

16. vA process according to claim 9 in which a region of a discontinuous spectrum with the steepest slope of the intensity of the diierent wave lengths, therein comprised, respectively the region of wave lengths where for the nlm itself and/or by means of the use of special sensibilizers, shows the steepest slope of the color sensitivity curve will be chosen in such a manner that these two regions coincide as much as possible.

JACQUES OSCAR vAN LEER. 

